Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Murakami - Lost in Translation


This observation struck a chord:
The Japanese language acquires much of its beauty and strength from indirectness—or what English-speakers call vagueness, obscurity, or implied meaning. Subjects are often left unmentioned in Japanese sentences, and onomatopoeia, with vernacular sounds suggesting meaning, is a virtue often difficult if not impossible to replicate in English.
Is there any other language that uses onomatopoeia so extensively?

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LINKS:

Kelts, Roland (2013): LOST IN TRANSLATION?  The New Yorker, 9 May 2013 --- url -- http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/05/lost-in-translation.html

Japanese Onomatopoeia -- http://www.tofugu.com/guides/japanese-onomatopoeia-guide/


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